AirAsia will offer refunds to customers after incorrectly levying Australia’s Passenger Movement Charge (PMC) on children under 12 years old on certain flights from Darwin to Bali for almost seven years – between December 2010 and September 2017.

AirAsia has identified about 9700 customers who have been affected by its blunder.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) raised concerns with AirAsia following media reports in September. Under the Passenger Movement Charge Collection Act 1978, children under the age of 12 are exempt from the PMC – which is commonly known as departure tax, though the government prefers the more grandiose title.

“Some AirAsia customers have been incorrectly charged for a levy of up to AUD 60 that did not apply,” said deputy chair of the ACCC, Dr Michael Schaper.

“Affected customers should contact AirAsia to obtain a refund for that charge. AirAsia has acted quickly to address the error and has committed to providing refunds within 21 days of receiving supporting documentation from affected customers. The ACCC will monitor the refund process.”

Affected customers should have received an email from AirAsia at the start of this week. If you know of any travellers who think they’ve been affected by this conduct but have not received a notification, please advise them to contact AirAsia directly.